This Photograph
by vampyremiyu
Summary: Written in response to a challenge, Ran ponders over an old photograph...and an old case. Not to mention the discovery of a secret. Told from Ran's point of view. Very cute and WAFFy. Shinichi/Ran. Oneshot.


THIS PHOTOGRAPH  
A Detective Conan / Case Closed fanfic

Written by Miyu, Vampire Princess

CHALLENGE: A picture is worth a thousand words. Write a fic where one character is reflecting on a picture of another.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Written for a 2006 challenge (yeah, this is kinda old)... As much as I love Detective Conan, I can't seem to write many stories for the fandom. This, however is my third foray. Please enjoy the WAFFy angst and romance. I also use the Japanese names as opposed to the English ones so if you need clarification, please let me know. A standard disclaimer follows the story.

--

I can't believe I still have this photo. It has to be -- what? -- nearly 6 years now. It feels much longer. I was still in high school. And I didn't look fat in a bathing suit! My husband stands out in the photo too. He was so cute back then. So curious. So protective.

And just as unbearable.

Ah...those were the days.

It was summer. An old friend had invited dad and of course we tagged along -- Conan and I. A trip to the beach was too good to pass up. Even if dad was drunk most of the time and Conan wouldn't stay out of trouble.

There was a case, of course. Seems the famous Detective Morii can't go anywhere without having to solve a murder. It was a tricky one too. A serial killer with a liking for young girls. Two were already dead and one was missing.

The day the third murder took place was like any other sunny afternoon. There was a photo shoot on a section of the beach that was off limits to outsiders. Well, other than my father, Conan and myself. The set up was nothing fancy, but there were a large number of beautiful models. In bikinis. More than enough to keep my father busy. The pervert.

Conan and I were playing in the water. He doesn't like to swim, and it took some convincing to get him into the rolling waves. Maybe he didn't like the high waves coming in from the ocean. The beach is tucked inside a lagoon-like area with a wide-open mouth to the sea. Many like the area because of the surf.

Or maybe it was the body we found floating in the water.

Well, he found it. All I could do was scream.

The victim was a young woman, a year or so older than myself. She'd gone missing two days before the photo shoot. Authorities had no leads and her death only brought up more questions than answers.

Like I do with any case, I leave my father to work and keep an eye on Conan. Not an easy task, especially when he decides to get involved. That scared me, him nosing around the murder scene. Any murder scene! He's a curious kid, I know, but it also caused me to wonder.

I've had many suspicions about Conan. The most common being that he was my friend, Shinichi, shrunk down to size. He did look like Shinichi when we were little. Only his glasses concealed the uncanny resemblance. He was just as curious and the way he kicked that soccer ball...it was too familiar! And the timing of his arrival to Shinichi disappearance, it was a logical enough explanation in my mind.

Only to be confirmed - FINALLY! - after the murderer decided on me as his next victim.

I had been drugged...something in the food on the set obviously meant for another model...and taken to a cabin hidden near the beachfront. I remained drugged for much of the experience so I'm afraid I can't be too detailed on events. But I do remember when Conan found me.

He had been by himself, searching for me. I'm sure the police and my father were also looking, but Conan has a way of figuring everything out before they do. It was dark and as far as I could tell I was alone. Getting me out in the state I was in would not be easy for Conan. He said so himself.

"Ran, I'm going to go get the police."

"No, wait! Don't--!"

"I can't carry you out of here by myself, Ran. I'm sorry."

"Conan..."

"I'll be back soon. Don't worry."

Because I couldn't actually see him, I wasn't even certain if it was real. But I felt warm lips pressed against mine, almost brushing, ever so fleeting. And his voice...it didn't sound like the young boy I always looked after. He sounded just like Shinichi.

"I'll be right back."

"Co...Shinichi...?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll be waiting."

Now he could've been humoring me by answering to that name. But I've kept a close eye on him since then. And I've noticed a few things I haven't before. Things that only solidify my earliest beliefs. Especially after I saw him using that bowtie to change his voice.

Thank god he doesn't have to use it anymore.

This photograph was taken after the police pulled me out of that shed and the murderer was put behind bars. I don't think I treated Conan any differently from before, although the loneliness I once felt at the loss of a dear friend suddenly didn't hurt so bad.

We've traveled to many different places since then. It's all part of his job now. So many photographs. So many laughs. So many tears. They're good memories, all of them. Even this one.

But we've never gone back to that beach.

I had wanted to learn to surf.

"Ran, what are you looking at?"

"Do you remember this picture, Shinichi?"

He leans over my shoulder to take a better look. "Kohei beach, wasn't it?"

"'The Murdered Models of Kohei Beach', I believe it says in father's file."

He chuckles. "That was a tough case to crack." Arms wrap around me from behind and all joking set aside. "I almost lost you."

"And I learned the truth behind a secret."

"I wish you would've said something afterward."

"I tried. YOU always sidestepped me."

He hugs me tighter. An apology. "I know. I'm sorry. I was..."

"Only trying to protect me," I finish for him. "I know."

"Why don't we go back to the beach?"

My face lights up. "You mean it?"

"Sure. Neither one of us has taken a vacation for a while. I'm being overworked at the agency and you need to get out of the house." He kisses my cheek then nuzzles my neck. "Besides, Conan's old enough to learn how to swim."

I smile ruefully. "You hate to swim."

"No, I don't. I was just too embarrassed to see you in a swimsuit back then."

"Back then, huh? What about now?"

He kisses me one last time, whispering in my ear, "Now I look forward to it."

Trying not to laugh, I stand from the table where all of our old photos are spread out. So many memories. I guess my scrapbooking project will have to wait until later.

Following my husband from the kitchen into the living room, I pause to pick up our two-year-old son. Little darling fell asleep on the couch watching a mystery movie. Again. Conan wakes up, only briefly, to whisper "good night, momma" in my ear. I kiss him on the forehead, as we start upstairs to the bedroom.

There are still many more memories yet to be made.

And many more photographs to be developed.

--OWARI--

DISCLAIMER:  
I do not own any part of "Detective Conan" or "Case Closed". That prestige honor goes to creator Gosho Aoyama. The characters in this story are used without permission. No money is being made from the production of this story, so it is pointless to sue. Well, perhaps not so much pointless as unprofitable.


End file.
